Shelters open following 7.7 earthquake

| 28/01/2020 | 154 Comments
  • Cayman News Service
  • Cayman News Service

(CNS) UPDATED 5:38pm: Government schools will be closed tomorrow to facilitate structural assessment following Tuesday afternoon’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake. The Red Cross Shelter on Huldah Avenue is opening at 6.30pm and the Aston Rutty Civic Centre on Cayman Brac is already open as a shelter in case they are needed, Hazard Management Cayman Islands have said. HMCI have given the all clear following the major earthquake, but say that aftershocks may occur over the next few days.

There have already been several strongly felt aftershocks, including one of 4.9 M about 20 miles southeast of East End at 4:00pm, and another that was felt at least in George Town at around 4:56pm.

Damage assessments are underway and the RCIPS helicopter is assisting with this process, officials said.

People returning to their homes after the earthquake are advised to assess their the structures and find alternative accommodations with friends, family or at the shelter if they see signs of structural damage/hazards. Information on how to check for hazards is available here.

Currently there are no reports of injuries in the Cayman Islands. People are advised to make damage reports to 911, though so far there have been no reports of injury and minimal reports of damage to property.

Drivers are advised to avoid using the road except for critical matters as traffic is jammed on many roads.

The Water Authority is asking residents to report broken pipes or service interruptions to their emergency number 946-4357.

The United States Geological Survey said the 7.7 M earthquake occurred approximately 80 miles ESE of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. In the aftermath, sinkholes appeared at a number places across the Cayman Islands Islands but members of the public are urged to avoid them.

After the quake, which shook all three islands Tuesday afternoon at around 2:10pm, a tsunami warning was issued and people on Grand Cayman were urged to stay away from coastal areas. During the shake, buildings swayed and office workers evacuated buildings in downtown George Town.

Witnesses said that “water sloshed out of the fountain” in front of the courthouse.

In the event of aftershocks, proper safety procedure for earthquakes should  be practiced. See what to do on the HMCI website here.

CNS will update as more information comes in.

Check the CNS Notice Board for updates on closures, etc


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Category: Science & Nature

Comments (154)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    We are from the North East of the US by the Great Lakes. We were shopping in Island Jewelers and they took charge to safely move their customers and staff. The policeman trying to support traffic was smiling. Was not giving safety warnings. We were very surprised there was no siren or news?no text messaging warning. No emergency management or FEMA updates. We have tornados and snow storms but no earth quakes. The staff in the store were superb. We tried to return to our hotel and a city bus invited us in. My husband is in a wheel chair and they were very generous the patrons helped him get in the bus. I’m sad I did not have the bus drivers name but the bus driver made sure we were safe. We were strangers.
    Island jewelers on seven mile also were wonderful. We will forever be grateful to the Cayman locals. You are wonderful!

  2. Sal says:

    what was infuriating with this is there was no local television channel on the tv to know or have any updates

    I turn on the radio and all I heard was music couldn’t all radio stations stop the flipping music and say what was going on.

    there was no communication from the schools to pick up children I got to RBPS all kids were outside under a tree in the parking lot scared and some crying

    the only news was the circulating whatsapp images and inaccurate information

    Cayman needs a TV Source or a Text message blast to all with the correct info

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  3. Anonymous says:

    After Puerto Rico quake in dec the ground is still shifting around our sea.

    • Anonymous says:

      Between January and December 2020, three major planetary conjunctions will occur as Saturn and Jupiter come into conjunction with Pluto in a rare three planet alignment in Capricorn before making their own conjunction with each other in Aquarius. This is one of the most astrological configurations of the modern era.

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  4. Anonymous says:

    Imagine being up top of a 50 storey tower as a 7.7 quake hit.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    Still hoping that a sinkhole will open up and swallow the dump!

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  6. Anonymous says:

    In the event of anything more serious, it’s safe to say we are screwed. This government is truly appalling. Too busy lining their own pockets and green-lighting developments which will exacerbate the rate at which this place is washed away.

    They are clueless, self-serving idiots.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    Human induced earthquakes

    “Induced seismicity” is the term used to describe earthquakes caused by human activities.

    Human induced earthquakes can be caused by anything that changes the stresses on rocks beneath the surface. These include processes that add or remove great loads from the surface, such as mining, building dams or tall buildings.

    Other processes that change the amount of pressure on rocks can include fluid injection from drilling, or extraction of water from aquifers.

    Human-induced earthquakes have been reported from every continent except Antarctica. Induced earthquakes only occur where there is already some stress on the rocks. The human activity adds enough stress to the rocks to reach the “tipping point” and trigger the earthquake.

    Nuclear explosions can induce small earthquakes along existing faults near a test site. Some underground nuclear tests have fractured the ground surface above the explosions, causing movement on faults adjacent to explosion sites.

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  8. don't be swept away by the waves says:

    How is a 3 foot ‘tsunami’ dangerous?

    – Tsunami move across the ocean at jetliner speeds
    – In the open sea, tsunami waves are low swells that do no damage. But when they hit land, they can rise up and strike with unexpected power.
    – Their energy comes from the earthquake itself
    -The first waves to hit could be low, but that doesn’t mean larger waves couldn’t follow–or strike elsewhere.
    -You could be killed taking pictures of the 3 foot wave. A cubic yard of water weighs about a ton. This is a yard high by multiple yards deep and wide. It wold feel like being hit by multiple cars simultaneously.
    – if you walk out a bit, crest comes at 50mph, now you are under 15 feet of water. and buoyant. float to the top, were water is still going 50mph. You get the picture how people drown.

    Every kid in Cayman must know that.

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    • Anon says:

      You watch too much horror movies :/

      • Anonymous says:

        Try watching the videos of the Aceh tsunami or the one in Sunda Straits and see how funny this comment is. real life horror – unmarked grave for many of those who didnt get to higher ground.

  9. Anonymous says:

    easy, install SIRENS to signal people to connect to the media for disaster news

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  10. Anonymous says:

    7:05pm
    1 meter tsunami is not a wave, it is when the entire sea raises 1 meter above land surface and moves with the speed destroying everything on its way. You would have no chance to just stand and watch it. You would be swept and drowned in no time.

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  11. David Shibli says:

    Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

    And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

    “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

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  12. Anonymous says:

    Some building in Cayman were built to withstand Cat.5 hurricanes.
    Seismic codes is a totally different thing. Are there any buildings built to the codes? If so, why not to publish the list?
    I visited Hawaii many times. Evacuation routes are clearly marked by signage.
    In Cayman evacuation routes should lead to buildings built to strong seismic codes that also at least 3 story high. Are there any?

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  13. Michel says:

    I am thankful that it was not worst and thank to the water authority for working hard to get the water back on. I am certain that many have done a great job helping with evacuation of buildings, schools etc. I am disapointed at the warnings we could and should have received. Should a Tsunami hit many could have been put in harms way. I get ridiculous rext from flow, why not an emergency and the hazard mngt did not perform as it was suppose to do in a timely and organised manner. Let this be a lesson to all departments. Imagine had this happened on a busy cruise ship days. Much to focus on and not only a cruise ship dock. A toxic fire at the dump, an eartquake etc.. Let’s plan ahead in case of future disasters and have a plan. My opinion and asking for a friend.

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    • Divagal says:

      I agree with you about the warning. Recently we were told that government was testing an early warning system. What happened to that. If there was a real emergency we would all be stuck in gridlock on the roads not going anywhere. Yesterday’s road experience should be a lesson to the RCIP. We need to have the police force out on the roads to help make the traffic flow better especially in the usual troublesome areas. If there was a tsunami we could have been washed away in our cars

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    • Alarmed says:

      I couldn’t agree more, I also felt that the communication was poor. Our children would have been in harms way in the event of a major tsunami, all were outside of school buildings with parents frantic to get to their children on the roads. Many would have perished. The whole scene from hazard management and government felt unprepared, unorganized and a bit of a shambles. We need a proper news service tv channel, we need sirens and we need proper formal alerts to phones. We need to prepare for the power to be out with no access to the internet. CIG reaction was abysmal. Alden sure showed his true colors in the event of an emergency and they were not good.

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      • Anonymous says:

        It was shambolic to say the least. Destroying and ripping up all the vegetation that holds the land together will be our downfall.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Flow can send out upwards of three texts in a day soliciting customers to text boat to win a boat with each text costing a $1.75 per text. Why cant gov implement the seem sort of setup through flow in the event of such natural but serious disasters i.e tsunami warning. Or some sort of siren that will automatically sound after an earthquake and would serve to warn residents that “hey we had an earthquake be on high alert as tsunamis are likely to follow”. Gov spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on shit we dont need!

  14. Anonymous says:

    Why is it that this morning all over the Weather Channel and CNN are reporting that the Earth Quake hit the Caribbean and named the surrounding Islands but no mentioned of the Cayman Islands.
    Is it that our Government did not want the world to know and keep everything silence just like everything else.

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    • Anonymous says:

      too insignificant, a spot on a globus you need a magnifying glass to see.

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      • Anonymous says:

        The Cayman Islands are totally insignificant compared to Jamaica, Cuba and Miami. People here are delusional about our importance in the big scheme of things. 65,000 people. Just remember that fact.

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    • Anonymous says:

      It was all over the local Miami, Florida news. Even explained how it would be a physical improbability to have that be the cause of a tsunami here.

      Those spouting about a possible tsunami are just scare mongering. Do some research before sounding like an idiot. Why open your mouth to prove it?

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      • Anonymous says:

        Check your history. The earthquake that took out Port Royal caused a significant Tsunami to strike Cayman.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Which will be why UNESCO issued a tsunami warning for Cayman – because it was impossible. I guess if you derive your knowledge from Miami local news then its not surprising you are talking complete crap, but you may want to think before accusing others using advice from experts as scaremongering.

      • Anonymous says:

        Despite which , the following book outlines possible Tsunami threat to Cayman.:
        “Islands from the Sea”
        Geologic stories of the Cayman Islands
        Author: Murray A .Roed

        In Mr. Roed’s book , he covers scientific geologic data over hundreds of thousands of years in our region . Discussion also covers the presence of ancient conch shell & coral reef debris on the high ground at East End. These findings support the opinion that a Tsunami did strike Grand Cayman in relatively recent historical times, as recent as circa. 500+ years ago.

        A very good read and no doubt many should gain a copy to learn & understand the geologic history of our islands , if you haven’t already done so. Enjoy.

    • Anonymous says:

      Just your filter Hun. I saw coverage.

    • Just change the channel.... says:

      @7:03AM How the hell could government keep news organizations from reporting an earthquake?? I truly marvel at the stupidity of some commenters here.

      If you took the time to change the channel, you’d have seen that Cayman was mentioned all over the US national news, including Wednesday morning’s ABC, CBS, and NBC morning news shows, and also mentioned several times on the Miami news channels last night and this morning.

  15. Anonymous says:

    1. The dump fire-CIG has failed royally on all points. It was a man made disaster affecting health of thousands people island wide. Zero response from authorities. Not a word on remediation, cleanup, contamination inspections and no general advices to members of public.
    2. Earthquake- CIG has failed on all points.

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    • Alarmed says:

      Totally agree…a massive failure on both counts, terrible terrible management of two significant issues that affect the public…..all has gone quiet.

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  16. Anonymous says:

    Fuel storage tanks-were they inspected for damages?

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  17. Anonymous says:

    The funniest thing was the international school announcement they will be open for business as usual. XXXXX Island wide infrastructure has yet to be checked for damages, nevertheless, they will take children! Did they inspect school grounds and air conditioning system for the dump fire toxic byproducts already? I mean samples were collected by professionals and sent to the lab?

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    • Anonymous says:

      PR move.

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    • Anon says:

      CIS is not the only school open today. Plus CIS buildings were built to specific seismic specifications and they have their own team to do the checks. CIS sent a notice out to parents saying that school was open, but if you didn’t feel comfortable sending them in, you didn’t have to. Most of the other schools are/were without water.

      Why are you only concerned with CIS, the same could be asked about all office buildings on the island – why are they open?

      With regards to the dump fire, no smoke affected CIS all the smoke went in the direction of town and the other schools. However they did close the school test others who were impacted by the smoke did not

  18. Anonymous says:

    Good luck to you all from Jamaica. You’ve had it way worse than us. I think you had several aftershocks. If ithat earthquake had been any closer it would have been over for us. It is a miracle and we are counting our blessings here. I am just so grateful that it wasn’t worse.

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  19. Anonymous says:

    what do ya think of building skyscraper on 7M now? “Oh just a little sway, nothing to worry about” said no one

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    • Anonymous says:

      Just build it, so Fire Department would have something to practice on.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Incredible to think there could be a 50 storey skyscraper on the Seven Mile Beach Corridor in a 7.7 magnitude earthquake. Could end up with a lot of dead billionaires and millionaires.

      • Anonymous says:

        Cost to build and manage would be astronomical. It has to be built to seismic and hurricane codes. Nobody has this kind of money.
        Island geology isn’t supportive for skyscrapers.
        No architect in their right mind would take responsibility and assume liability for a skyscraper on this rock.
        No insurance would provide liability protection for architects.
        To manage such a building, after it is built, an army of highly qualified and experienced professionals must be brought here. Elevators alone would require such a unique expertise that it would be impossible to find them and make them live on this toxic rock.
        Construction cranes would require highly skilled labor, maintenance a supervision. There are no such specialists locally. It would also have to be dismantled during hurricanes-extremely dangerous and requires surgical precision of steps to take.

        So it won’t get built. Breathe.

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        • Anonymous says:

          11:27, Are you saying that the Dart people who announced the 50 storey building are totally stupid? Surely they would have already consulted with architects and construction people before stating their interest in having such a massive building built.

        • Anonymous says:

          19 buildings in Tokyo, a major seismic zone, over 50 stories. So its clearly possible, irrespective of whether you think its a good idea or financially viable.

      • Anonymous says:

        Your point?

    • Anonymous says:

      I hope that proposal fell into a sinkhole yesterday, and hopefully along with the architect(s).

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  20. Anonymous says:

    This is where a local TV station would have been important and useful Cayman 27

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  21. Anonymous says:

    I really missed Cayman 27 today.

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  22. Anonymous says:

    Where is your Dart now?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Efficiently communicating with all staff and getting people upstairs while government was ushering people down and out in the face of a likely tsunami. DART did just fine.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Get your facts right .. the evacuation plan is after the earthquake, got to predetermined assembly area until the all clear .. after the all clear they were told to head back in 3rd floor or higher …

    • Anonymous says:

      Idiotic comment

  23. Anonymous says:

    QuakeFeed app reported the quake strength and tsunami warning within 5 mins of the shake. No point us all moaning about lack of responses etc we need to take control of the situation ourselves and have a plan. Commend the guys on observation tower eating takeaway pizza washed down with cold Heineken, the best plan I witnessed. It shouldn’t be rocket science to assume on an Island (ignoring the dump) where we’re only 4-12 ft above sea level there’s gonna be a tsunami risk, should be common sense really. Don’t wait for alerts (you’ll be dead waiting for them) act on instinct to save your family and friends at all costs.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Good, practical and humorous advices. Just get the Realtime alerts app.
      2 problems though: in case of a large one- run from tall buildings, in case of tsunami- run toward tall buildings. Need a list of buildings built to earthquake codes.

      • Anonymous says:

        We could all go and stand on top of the monstrous tunnel going over West Bay road. The amount of concrete and rebar in that should be sufficient. Only about 30ft high though so could be problematic I guess.

  24. EDRIS OCHO says:

    Excellent job by Hazard Mgt

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  25. Anonymous says:

    When will water be back?

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  26. Anonymous says:

    the initial messages on Radio Cayman from Hazard Mgt were very sparing. Extremely limited. Within minutes I was getting updated messages from relatives overseas giving photos of the earthquake lines, countries affected and magnitude. Yet we in Cayman was left without valuable info from our Govt agencies. What happen to CIG TV that was to take up the slack from CITN?

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    • Anonymous says:

      CIGTV was telling us all to get high.

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    • Anonymous says:

      bitch and complain all you want. The other overseas sources were giving out inaccurate information. Cayman needed to get local facts straight then provide updates. People spreading all kind of fake news. Govt’s job isn’t to send out photos and tell you how big the earthquake was. It was to let you know critical info such as is there a tsunami watch etc.

      I kept updated via caymanprepared.gov.ky and checked in with CNS. Then I saw the live updates on CIGTV when they had information to provide.

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      • Anonymous says:

        The point exactly – there was publicly available information from public services organisations like UNESCO or QuakeWatch. It was available in greater detail ad far faster than that from HMCI. That’s a fact – its not bitching. And governments job is to give urgent and practical advice – exactly as you say. But they didnt – at least not on timely basis. If they dont do it, dont be surprised if people complain.

    • Anonymous says:

      Instead of FLOW sending out infuriating marketing texts, why don’t they let everyone know what’s happening in an emergency situation?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yes. 7:45 pm: I was very surprised that my sister in Canada knew about out situation even before I could WhatsApp her.

      And can some one tell me how UNESCO Info was being sourced? Sounds like we should all know this so we can get in on the info. They seemed to be ahead of Hazard Management.

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    • Anonymous says:

      FLOW TV didn’t have zilch on CIG TV.

  27. Anonymous says:

    I’m very disappointed with the response time from Hazard Management, the phone companies and the RCIPS. Had this tsunami became a realization a lot of people and children lives would have perished just sitting in traffic today and due to the lack thereof of information from reliable sources. There were a lot of rumors, videos and no show from the relevant authorities. A perfect example my boss wanted me to re-enter the building when no one from Planning or the Fire Service giving the all clear to enter the building.

    It high time government, the utility companies and phone companies come up with a better plan. The current one in place would have had many people killed today.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Should those submarine cables have failed because of the earthquake event, then we would see how smart the networks for the two main providers are designed that provide service to the world’s 5th largest financial centre.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You want the cig to plan? I laugh.

  28. Anonymous says:

    The congestion on the roads really showed how serious this can be in an emergency situation. There were like 3 or 4 ships in the port today as well. The traffic was awful even without an earthquake. When will the government and the greedy rich ppl realize more people and more development is not working for the greater good? It’s only working for the few rich. Cayman start organizing yourselves and take back your island.

    Expat married to a Caymanian.

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  29. Anonymous says:

    If Flow can bombard us with nonstop messages about buying a ticket to win a boat, they should be able to coordinate with Government to update residents on emergencies. It’s the least they can do with all the free advertising they force on us.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Why even pretend to have an alert system is a better financial question. What braintrust from public service could anyone reasonably trust with their lives to relay timely info (you’ve already sourced from USGS Pacific Tsunami Alerts, Quake Feed etc)? Is there anyone in our provincial government with an academic understanding of the geophysics and hazards involved? I’m not convinced. There is no local magnometer or sea buoy data array to beat the experts at interpreting rare disaster record keeping. I’d rather not have the false assurance of competency, paired with the subsequent affirmations.

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      • PHBYLAKYAG says:

        CIG heads firmly planted in the sand and they’re not coming out any time soon. Best bet is to CYA and don’t expect your 18th Century backward thinking gov’t to do it for you.

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    • BeaumontZodecloun says:

      Perfectly said. I would be far more willing to endure the FLOWspam if I knew they were the emergency notification entity during these very rare occasions.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Hazard Management must find a way to reach people with tsunami warnings and other urgent info such as water shut off.

      Agree Flow and Digicel have a major role to play in phone text messaging and should offer service free of cost in national emergencies

      What about the plan for emergency messaging cutting into all radio programmes? Was that implemented? And even if it was, did it actually reach a wide enough audience? I expect that was an expensive undertaking.

      And schools need to get their act together on how to best manage their situations in context of all the factors—potential for tsunamis, traffic congestion, emergency drills, adequacy of their buildings, emergency treatment of injuries in event of mass casualties, etc.

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  30. Anonymous says:

    And the RCIPs is out in force making sure the traffic jams are made worse

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  31. PYHBYLAKYAG says:

    A few minutes after the CIG could only say we had a quake, but still no position and magnitude. Twenty minutes later, they issue a location and magnitude albeit a 7.3. What a fine example of a third world emergency warning system we have.
    Best put the USGS app and other natural disaster websites at the top of your list to check since waiting for Hazard Mgmt. to provide timely info is a hazard in itself.

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    • Sharkey says:

      Hospital staff were asked to evacuate patients to the upper floor, after a Tsunami would have hit!
      It would seem that Hazard management need to up their game before they become responsible for multiple casualties the next time, because they were unable to communicate the warning to the population
      Why is there no Tsunami warning stem In place, or practice drills?
      We could not listen to Radio Cayman on line, as their web site was swamped and there was no way of obtaining updates from any other source.
      Time to kick a few we’ll paid buts, this is not rocket science, it’s done all over the world, in far poorer countries and it makes us look like arrogant idiots, which is presumably how we might describe our esteemed Hazard Management board, thankfully there were no casualties this time but let’s insist this incompetent fiasco is the last one, we were lucky!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Did you realise these people working in the building and DO you expect them stay in the building or leave when earthquake happening? Of course they left the buildings and it takes 20 minutes for them return the building and they look up on computers which by time they issue Tsunami warning! Give them a break otherwise YOU bloody stay in building and do their job!

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      • Anonymous says:

        These are the rules.

        1. Leave the building if you can safely do so. Wait for shaking to stop.

        2. Look to see if building looks OK. If it does head upstairs until all clear.

        Not so hard is it?

  32. Anonymous says:

    Two things for sure. If a tsunami hits Cayman Islands you won’t even know its coming until after it hits and most people will be stuck in traffic when it hits. At least many of the people stuck on the roads will be able to see it coming.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Agree with latter but former not so..UNESCO tsunami warning e mail arrived 2:18 – 9 minutes after the quake and 19 minutes before the wave passed. Of course, if you are relying on the government automated warning system – not so much.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Slip fault quakes can release millions of tons in loose potential kinetic water displacing submarine landslide with energy event located anywhere along 1500 miles of deep marine trench, and along either side of the tectonic boundary. The “minor” aftershocks might be sufficient to get these underway. That our govt would announce all clear before we’re through the 12-24hr aftershock window, demonstrates an acute dangerous knowledge gap where saying nothing, or advising vigilance, might be the safer advice.

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        • PHYBYLAKYAGB says:

          There’s probably enough data out there from this. Might be very interesting to see wave modelling scenarios for today’s quake. See if it all correlates with our reference tidal data. Oops, forgot we don’t have a tidal gauge in Cayman.

          ‘Twas a good pipe dream though.

    • Anonymous says:

      I saw ambulances and firetrucks just sitting in traffic. Forever. Going nowhere. So there aren’t any emergency services available…because of….traffic.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You will know. Look for wildlife. Not a bird in the sky this afternoon…they got out of here early. I won’t feel safe until the ching chongs are back!

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  33. Anonymous says:

    These aftershocks aren’t over. Expect more over next 12-24 hrs. Be prepared and make your own plan. Any of these successive aftershocks could release a submarine landslide, anywhere along the length of trench, on either side.

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  34. Anonymous says:

    That was a fine example of how completely unprepared our government is. Is it not possible to provide updates via text?

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    • As says:

      But they can spend $500k on advertisement for the port… but who needs a proper warning system…

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    • Anonymous says:

      It was also a fine example of how negligent and incompetent they are. While hazard managements was telling everyone to get up high due to a real tsunami risk, our schools put all the kids outside and then told their parents to come and pick them up. If a tsunami had come, thousands could have died stuck in traffic on coastal roads. An epic fail we are all lucky to have walked away from.

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    • Anonymous says:

      We need more development CPA – get those high rises approved!!!!

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  35. Anonymous says:

    Too busy spending our hard earned money to notice, or care.

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  36. Anonymous says:

    Very frightening especially with the possibility of a Tsunami due to the low lying of the island. Thankfully, Cayman was saved of this. We are all praying for you from the U.K. that you will not be the subject of anymore earthquakes Take care Cayman. X

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  37. Anonymous says:

    civil servants will now take tomorrow and thursday off….just wait and see

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    • Anonymous says:

      What a freaking twit!

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      • Anonymous says:

        Do you think he is wrong? Schools already closed.

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      • Anonymous says:

        No. He or she nailed it. Amazing how the private sector is able to not miss a step and that only government buildings have to close for inspections even where there is absolutely no indication of any damage or issue.

  38. Anonymous says:

    I was shock to see that John gray high school teachers and staff leading the children back inside the gymnastics building. Is that not a perfect example of educated idiots .

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    • C'mon Now! says:

      Well you had an earthquake and then a perhaps not legitimate but widespread report of a Tsunami so I think most schools ended up taking the students to higher floors/ground.

      People spreading unconfirmed reports on social media did not help anyone today.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Tsunami warning was legitimate – based on the official UNESCO system ( which also said effect on isolated islands with barrier reefs would be less). Our child’s school reacted by sending all the kids home so they and their parents would be in traffic rather than on the second story.

        17
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        • C'mon now! says:

          There was a report of an actual movie style Tsunami coming not a chance of a less than 1m tsunami wave. People should think and confirm things before forwarding them on.

          That was not very helpful to anyone, I know people mean well but there needs to be some common sense here. If you don’t really know incite panic.

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          • Anonymous says:

            If you experience a major earthquake and there is a solid structure remaining, get up it quickly and then determine if there is a tsunami. That is the appropriate response for Cayman, and anyone standing around waiting for clear guidance from the authorities is a candidate for a Darwin award. Plainly a lot of potential candidates around today.

            11
  39. Anonymous says:

    Back in December ( https://caymannewsservice.com/2019/12/earthquake-shakes-cayman-awake/ ) I posted a warning about this. It read, ‘Just the beginning? One place I worked suddenly had a couple of shocks like this then it all went quiet for several months. Next they were hit by a massive shock that damaged about eight hotels, one of which had to be demolished. All went quiet for another nine years and then the tremors started again but so far no more big ones. And they want to build tower blocks here?’ and the clowns who responded treated it with derision. Do you all feel so confident now?

    31
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  40. Anonymous says:

    Why has the government not come out with anything. Just shows how useless they really are

    29
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    • Anonymous says:

      GIS posted an official update at 3:35 pm and they did a news conference just after 4:00 pm.

      15
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      • Anonymous says:

        Thumbs up if you missed these (had no clue).

        19
      • Anonymous says:

        Where? On what platform? Certainly not Gov.ky.

        • Anonymous says:

          Well the decision was made that we don’t need a local news station anymore…

          Even if its not going to be Cayman 27, A public owned news broadcast channel that anyone can tune into is standard in most of the world. This is a prime example of why we need one.

      • Anonymous says:

        Wow an hour and a half to late

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes. It was the government that caused it.

      They (the Gov and the Premier) was on Radio Cayman briefly. Hazard Management have been issuing updates

      5
      12
      • Anonymous says:

        Okay if I am looking for information onCayman, I should not need to know of some obscure website that does not show up in any searches of key words. Like ‘Cayman Earthquake, do I need to evacuate’?

        • Jotnar says:

          Register for the Pacific Tsunami Warning system e mail list (it covers Atlantic and Caribbean earthquakes and tsunamis as well). Its free, and you get prompt e mails. I got the first tsunami warning with a wave height estimate and an ETA for the wave 8 minutes after the quake stopped. Compare and contrast with when HMCI, who have exactly the same data a) put it on Facebok and b) put it on the radio.

    • Anonymous says:

      Aren’t they all away?

      7
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    • Anonymous says:

      They have been playing message from Hazard Mgmt on the radio so I don’t think that is a fair comment.

      15
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      • Anonymous says:

        Yeah – after the tsunami was due to arrive

        5
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      • Anonymous says:

        Who listens to radio these days? Now compare to how many use the Internet? Like me, likely most of us would miss radio broadcasts. Simple text messages to all phones.Jeez our phones are bombarded by Digicel and Flow third party advertising without our consent, why can’t they simply be instructed to send messages to all in important situations such as this. I am sorry but radio just doesn’t cut it.

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        • Anonymous says:

          Radio Cayman has an app dude. Download it.

        • Anonymous says:

          8:12 pm: totally agree. Radio Cayman is not most effective medium for this purpose on the level scale required. INTERNET MEDIA SOURCES & PHONE TEXT MESSAGING are the way to go. Flow and Digicel should be brought aboard to offer these services in event of an emergency free of charge.

          I actually found the Compass online newspaper a good source of immediate news. That’s where I found info, for example, on shut off by Water Authority. That was one confusing situation. Sources were saying water was being shut off —and at the time shut off was being experienced in some areas — but the Water Authority staff did not know that and were telling people water was not being cut off.

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          • Quake says:

            I tuned into Radio Cayman and heard no official update, they were playing Christian music and taking calls…..

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